Brits who work from home lose 2 days a year to distractions

Brits who work from home lose more than two days a year through distractions from children, pets and friends popping round, according to new research.

A study of 2000 office workers showed that despite the supposed benefits of working from home, one in four confessed they never get into ‘work-mode’ and lose track of tasks an average of four times a day. Dealing with personal phone calls, watching TV and doing household chores were among the diversions when away from the office.

A spokesman for Furniture at Work, which commissioned the study, said: “Having the option to work from home is an increasingly popular option for office-workers, and can be seen as a novelty.

“But the amount of distractions can have a negative effect on productivity, particularly when working somewhere we associate with relaxing such as the bed or sofa. No matter where you prefer to work, it’s worth bearing in mind that the office environment – particularly the modernised offices of today – have been designed to get the most out of our skills.’’

The research showed the average employed Brit works from home around five days a month, and spends 30 minutes each day being distracted – in addition to lunch time and breaks.

Two out of three admitted they don’t have a designated workspace at home, with a fifth confessing they just set up a laptop from their bed. 10% admitted their makeshift workspace – often involving the bed and cushion set-up – causes them to be badly organised and ‘too relaxed’.

And while a quarter confessed they don’t get dressed on a work-from-home day, a carefree 16% don’t even make it to the shower. The average home-worker will spill five food or drink items over the course of a month, and delete up to 10 important documents.

Temptation to get household chores done was named as the top distraction, while watching TV instead of working was also seen as a problem. More than a fifth said playing with the dog or cat causes them to ignore doing work in a domestic space, with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter also proving hard to resist.

The doorbell brings more distractions, a long with parcel deliveries and visits from unexpected guests. 12% said answering PPI and personal calls on the home phone left items on their to-do list un-ticked.